“James Cameron’s inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman. Strong women are great. His praise of my film Monster, and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated. But if women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we aren’t free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we haven’t come very far have we. I just believe women can and should be EVERYTHING just like male lead characters should be. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman. And the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is, can surely choose and judge their own icons of progress.” ­— Twitter, Aug 25, 2017.

Hollywood double-standards are a tougher opponent than KGB thugs or acid-blooded aliens. Theron, Johansson, Gadot … could do with female screenwriters to fully free them from the tendency to make their characters secondary. But in 2017, the fight is moving on. — Nick Hasted, Independent. Read more:

All these little girls are strong, capable, and totally badass — but, disturbingly, they’re also all almost completely silent… We, as audiences, have the power to encourage Hollywood to give these little girls their voices by demanding change. When we watch yet another movie or TV show with a strong, silent young heroine, let’s stop idolizing her, and instead ask the writers behind her why she doesn’t get to speak her piece. — Rachel Simon, Bustle. Read More:

I love this idea that you’ve got a sword in one hand and a baby on your hip. You had to keep up with the men because there’s no room on a ship for ornaments—but we only know about the ones they caught. There may have been scores of pirate women who lived and died that we just don’t know about. — Laura Sook Duncombe with Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian. (Thanks to Lulu Jemimah) Read more:

Nancy Wake, a New Zealander known during World War II as the “White Mouse,” was active in the French Resistance and escaped the Nazis multiple times. She was on the Gestapo’s most wanted list by 1943, eventually becoming the virtual leader of 7,000 French Resistance fighters. – List by Fran Wilde, Paste Magazine. Read More:

The thought that a Buttercup could morph over time into an Antiope is perhaps the greatest comfort of all, in a world where women’s roles are often limited and limiting. Let us be princesses, but let us be generals too. Let us live in stories made to heal, but also in stories made to marshal bravery, fortitude, and wisdom. — Emily Asher-Perrin, Tor.com. Read More:

If Wonder Woman does well on opening weekend, it sets a precedent for female-centered action films and female directors and we’ll see more of these stories on screens soon. Hollywood is a business that responds to box office. – Kirsten Schaffer, Women in Film. Read More: